The Senate voted 32-0 for House Bill 52 by Rep. Reed Henderson, D-Violet, to allow the New Orleans Traffic Court judges to assess up to $30 in court costs on all non-parking violations.

Court officials said they now can impose no more than $10 in court costs on all those who are found guilty or plead guilty or no contest to traffic violations as well as those who forfeit bonds set by the court.

Sen. Edwin Murray, D-New Orleans, who handled Henderson's bill on the Senate floor, said the legislation is designed to put New Orleans on the same legal footing with other courts in the state.

Murray said the judicial oversight boards have approved the Traffic Court costs increase.

Henderson's bill now goes to Gov. Bobby Jindal, who can sign it, veto it or let it become law without his signature.

The bill will generate between $1.4 million and $2.1 million for the court, according to estimates by the Legislative Fiscal Office.

On another local matter, the Senate Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs gave unanimous support to House Bill 331 by Rep. Tony Ligi, R-Metairie, that would allow Jefferson Parish to enact its own ethics code that would not preclude the state from filing charges of ethics law violations.

Deputy Jefferson Parish Attorney Louis Gruntz, who handled the bill for Ligi, said the bill would apply to Orleans, Jefferson and East Baton Rouge parishes.

Orleans has an inspector general to file ethics charges and voters in Jefferson this fall will be asked to amend the Parish Charter to create the position. East Baton Rouge has not discussed the issue.

Gruntz said the parish's ethics code is being revised. He said the bill is needed to spell out that the parish code "may regulate the same or similar activity" regulated by the state Board of Ethics.

The parish ethics code will not pre-empt nor preclude the state ethics agency from investigating, charging or assessing fines based on a case handled by the Jefferson board.

Sen. Cynthia Willard-Lewis, D-New Orleans, a member of the panel and a former New Orleans City Council member, said that recently elected Jefferson Parish President John Young and the council members in Jefferson favor Ligi's bill.

"This will assure the best practices and high ethical standards" in Jefferson Parish, she said.